Chapter 8

“I requested this impromptu meeting because I have something I need to tell all of you,” Kyoya stood calmly before the seated male Host Club members.

“Hold on. Don’t start the meeting yet. Haruhi still isn’t here,” Kaoru protested.

Kyoya adjusted his glasses, “She won’t be attending.”

The Host Club looked confused.

Tamaki stood up suddenly, “Kyoya, don’t make Haruhi leave the Host Club. There’s no need to be jealous of her anymore.”

Kyoya stared at him blankly, “Jealous of her?” Kyoya shook his head in disbelief. “Idiots,” he murmured, then out loud, “That is the misunderstanding I needed to speak to you guys about. I take it you have all noticed my reserved manner around Haruhi, and have mistaken it for jealousy.”

“Wait, if you’re not jealous of her, then what do you have against Haruhi?” Hikaru demanded.

“Yeah, why are you ignoring her and trying to help her leave the Host Club faster?” Kaoru queried.

Kyoya responded calmly, “I have nothing against Haruhi and I’m not trying to get her out of the Host Club.” He adjusted his glasses, “I’m … interested in her.”

The Host Club members froze in shock. Tamaki lay twitching where he had collapsed.

Hikaru recovered first. He stood up and approached Kyoya stiffly, stopping inches away from the composed Shadow King. “What are you trying to pull, Kyoya? What do you think you’re going to get out of this?”

Kaoru materialized at his twin’s side, “We’re not going to let you use Haruhi for whatever scheme you’ve come up with.”

“This isn’t some ‘scheme,’” Kyoya said coldly.

“Kyoya-chan likes Haru-chan,” Huni said quietly, staring down at the stuffed rabbit on his lap.

Tamaki, who had been making some progress in standing up, collapsed to the floor once more.

Fists clenched, Hikaru nudged the unconscious king with his foot, “Hey, milord, do something about this. You can’t let Kyoya-senpai take advantage of your precious daughter, can you?”

The words ‘precious daughter’ made it into Tamaki’s subconscious, giving his brain a jumpstart. Tamaki stood up slowly, his back turned to Kyoya. “What Huni-senpai said, is it true, Kyoya? Do you really like Haruhi?”

Before Kyoya could say anything, Hikaru exclaimed angrily, “Of course it isn’t true. Kyoya Ootori only does things for his own benefit. Why would he like a commoner like Haruhi?” Kaoru grabbed his brother’s arm to stop him from saying anything else, but Hikaru shook him off and continued, “We’re not gonna let you manipulate her and everyone else just so you can get whatever you want.”

Kyoya purposely ignored Hikaru, instead addressing Tamaki and the seniors, “I do like Haruhi, and I have no intention of using her or harming her in anyway. However, don’t get me wrong; I didn’t call this meeting to ask for permission. It’s all up to Haruhi, and she has already agreed to go out on a date with me tomorrow. Since we’re both members of the Host Club, I thought you guys might like to know. That is all. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Kyoya turned and began to walk calmly to the door.

Mori prevented another outburst from Hikaru or Kaoru by placing a firm hand on each of their shoulders. Tamaki still stood silently with his back toward Kyoya.

“Kyoya-chan,” Huni called out, in a soft tone that was deadly serious. Kyoya stopped and turned to listen. “I’m sure Kyoya-chan knows that Haru-chan is very precious to us. And I’m sure Kyoya-chan knows that Takashi and I would not be happy if Haru-chan was hurt in anyway.”

Kyoya looked Huni in the eyes and nodded, “I understand.”

Huni nodded in return, then his demeanor changed completely. In a split second he transformed back to his cute bubbly self. “Have fun tomorrow, Kyoya-chan. You guys should go get ice cream or cake. Sweets always improve the mood. Haru-chan would enjoy that, right Takashi?” Mori patted the little senior’s head as Huni headed toward the dessert table.

Kyoya turned and left the room.

“That’s it?” Hikaru demanded through gritted teeth. “That’s all you guys are going to say to him? You’re not gonna try to stop him?”

Kaoru put a comforting arm around his twin’s shoulder, “Hikaru. Let’s go home.” The twins left, leaving behind Tamaki and the seniors.

“Kyoya doesn’t like Haruhi as a daughter, does he?” Tamaki said quietly.

The seniors looked at each other with worried expressions. Huni answered gently, “Tama-chan was the one who made Haru-chan the daughter.”

“And now my best friend and my daughter... are going on a date.” Tamaki looked puzzled as he tried to accept the information. He sat down on the nearest couch and closed his eyes, lost in thought. He couldn’t understand all of the emotions he was feeling. For some reason he was both mad and sad at the same time, and he tried to reason out why. Of course I feel protective of my daughter, and that’s probably why I’m mad at Kyoya for trying to ruin her purity. However, Kyoya is my best friend and I want him to be happy, which is why it makes me sad to have to keep her away from him, right? On the other hand, shouldn’t I be happy that my daughter will be with someone as good as Kyoya? But does Kyoya deserve someone as perfect as my dear Haruhi? As for any other emotions that he was feeling, Tamaki refused to acknowledge them. Tamaki sighed, then opened his eyes, decision made. His duties as a father would have to take precedence over everything. Tamaki had been sitting quietly for several minutes, so when he jumped up and yelled “Okay!” it startled the seniors.

“What is it, Tama-chan?” Huni asked, licking frosting off of a fork.

“I have a plan. We’re going to follow Kyoya and Haruhi on their date tomorrow!” Tamaki declared. “We need to keep an eye on them and make sure Kyoya can take good care of my beloved daughter.”

Huni and Mori looked at each other. If they didn’t agree with Tamaki’s plan, then he would go on his own and probably get into trouble. It would be better for the seniors to accompany him and try to keep him from doing anything too dumb. Plus, they had to admit they were curious about the couple, so they agreed to meet up with their president the next day.

In the limo on their way home, Huni swung his feet and stared out the window. Mori sat across from him staring out the other way. Huni commented sadly, “He’s putting everyone’s feelings before his own.”

Mori nodded his head in agreement. He only hoped their president wouldn’t someday regret holding back for his friends’ happiness.

That evening, the twins were sitting alone at a long dining table. They were pushing the food around on their plates listlessly. Hikaru broke the silence first, slamming his fork down on the table, “Why did she agree to go out with him anyway? Maybe he’s blackmailing her or bribing her.”

“Maybe,” Kaoru agreed, but he didn’t really believe it. After spending the week shadowing the Shadow King, Kaoru had to admit there was more to the emotionally distant 2nd-year than he had initially thought. And he knew that if anyone could see beyond Kyoya’s aloofness, it would be Haruhi. When Hikaru had confronted Kyoya earlier, Kaoru had instinctively backed him up. Kaoru had nothing against Kyoya, but Hikaru’s happiness was his main priority. Later that night when Hikaru revealed his plan, of course Kaoru agreed to go along with it.

Saturday, early afternoon…

Half a block from Haruhi’s apartment was a black car with dark tinted windows. Mori sat in the driver’s seat, Tamaki was in the front passenger seat, and Huni was in the back seat. Tamaki had shown up in his limo, but Huni and Mori quickly convinced him to switch to a more discreet car. Since they didn’t know the details of the date, they had to wait outside Haruhi’s place until Kyoya showed up. They had been there since morning.

Kyoya smirked as his limo drove past the parked black car. He glanced over his shoulder casually, and smirked again. The twins were still tailing him, too. Everything was going according to plan. Kyoya knocked on Haruhi’s door. All I have to do now is stay alert and focused and deal with whatever foolishness they throw at me. Haruhi opened the door. Kyoya stared.

Haruhi looked down at what she was wearing. “Is it weird? My dad asked me to wear it,” she said with a sigh, remembering her father’s tearful pleas. Since what she wore mattered so much to him, and didn’t matter at all to her, Haruhi had agreed. Now there she stood in a light yellow, spaghetti-strapped dress. It had an empire waist then flowed gently to reach mid-thigh. Her bangs were swept to one side and held by a white clip. Strappy, flat sandals and a white clutch completed her outfit. She sighed to herself again, At least it’s comfortable.

Kyoya shook his head. “It’s nice, really. You look lovely.” In his mind, Kyoya was damning Ranka-san for dressing Haruhi in such a tempting outfit when he had five pairs of eyes watching and waiting for him to make just one wrong move. He gulped as a gentle breeze fluttered the thin cotton fabric of her dress, giving him a teasing glimpse of more skin. He stepped back, “Are you ready?”

Walking to the limo, Haruhi forced herself to ignore the huge commotion coming from two cars parked a little down the street from her apartment. As she settled into her seat, she smiled and said, “Well I’ll give them credit for not showing up in their limos.”

In Mori’s car, Mori had one iron arm around Tamaki’s neck. Mori had grabbed Tamaki just before he could bolt out of the car. The car shook as the blond idiot struggled madly to break free, and the rolled up windows did little to muffle his plaintive cries for his daughter. Huni was not helping matters by jumping up and down in the back seat exclaiming about how cute Haruhi looked in her dress.

In the Hitachin car, Kaoru was having similar trouble trying to keep Hikaru from leaving the car to pound on Kyoya. Unwilling to use real force to break free from his brother’s restraint, Hikaru finally sat back in his seat with a scowl. “You saw how that bastard was looking at her. If Kyoya tries anything funny with Haruhi…” he clenched his fists with frustration.

In Kyoya’s limo, Kyoya adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms casually. “Now remember, we can’t act as though we’ve already been going out for the past several weeks. We have to act friendly, but casual.”

“Friendly, but casual?” Haruhi eyed him skeptically.

Kyoya leaned forward, “Precisely. Close, but not too close. For example, I can hold your hand like this” he reached over to hold her hand, “but I can’t put my arm around you like this,” he placed his arm around her shoulders.

“Oh I see,” Haruhi smiled. “So I can give you a friendly pat on the shoulder, but I can’t do this?” Haruhi asked, kissing him softly.

“Feel free to do that whenever you want,” he kissed her back, “but my hospital bills will be added to your debt.” He grinned as she scooted away.

Haruhi called out from the other end of the limo, “Where are we going anyway?”

“I’m sure you can guess.”

Haruhi pondered out loud, “You would want to take advantage of the nice weather we’re having, so probably something outdoors. The others have to be able to follow us, so nothing private or quiet. Something friendly and casual...” Haruhi glanced out the window to see which direction they were headed. Her face lit up as it came to her, “The fair is in town.”

Kyoya smiled, impressed with her deductive abilities, “Is that okay with you?”

Haruhi nodded, “More than okay. I haven’t been there in a really long time.” Haruhi stared out the window, a distant look in her eyes. “I remember going when my mom was still alive.” She smiled, “The fair brings back happy memories.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Those idiots better not ruin the fair for her. “I’ve never been to one before, but according to my research it should be a pleasant experience.”

Haruhi stared at him in disbelief, then laughed. She scooted back over to him, “Don’t worry,” she kissed his cheek, “I’ll make sure you have fun.”

Kyoya pulled her close, “That’s supposed to be my line,” he complained jokingly. He claimed a kiss as compensation, and then unable to stop himself he started kissing her neck. He rested his hand on her knee, and then couldn’t keep himself from caressing her silky skin. The date has barely started and I’m already losing control. Get a hold of yourself, Kyoya. He pulled away limo made a sudden sharp turn, tipping Kyoya over onto Haruhi.

Haruhi looked up into Kyoya’s dark eyes as he remained over her. She stared at him suspiciously, and raised an eyebrow.

Kyoya chuckled, “No, I didn’t plan this.” He bent closer, “It must be divine intervention.” He felt her smile as he kissed her hungrily. He pulled them both to sit upright, not wanting her hair or dress to get conspicuously mussed, but continued to kiss her. His breathing quickened when she climbed onto his lap, her dress sliding tantalizingly high up to her hips. Gently, slowly, his hands traveled up her thighs. He heard her gasp when his hands reached her center. He muffled her moan with his lips as his thumbs slid beneath her underwear and began to stroke her.

Determined to share the pleasure with him, Haruhi hurried with the button and zipper of his jeans. Kyoya groaned at the feel of her warm hands encircling him.

Suddenly, they both froze. The limo had stopped. Damn.

Kyoya quickly set Haruhi down on the seat next to him and adjusted his pants. Haruhi had just finished smoothing down her dress, when the driver opened the door for them.

Kyoya slid out of the limo elegantly. He turned to the driver holding the door and calmly said, “You’re fired.” The driver stood there in shock as Kyoya proceeded to help Haruhi out.

Haruhi gaped at him in disbelief, “Kyoya,” she scolded, nudging him in the side. Kyoya simply adjusted his glasses and looked away stubbornly. Haruhi addressed the stunned driver, “He’s not serious. You’re not fired. Don’t worry,” she tried to reassure him. “Kyoya-senpai is just in a bad mood because he…” she looked over to Kyoya for help.

“…Was in the middle of a very important conversation.” Kyoya finished for her.

Haruhi pulled Kyoya to the side, “We can continue that ‘conversation’ later if you’ll give him his job back.”

Kyoya grinned. He called out to his driver, “You’re hired.”

Haruhi sighed. She wouldn’t be surprised if Kyoya had planned that.